2022-2023 Hon. Frederick E. McKelvey Writing Competition
 
The American Association of Patent Judges (AAPJ) (see https://www.AAPJ.us) invites entries for the 2023 Hon. Frederick E. McKelvey Writing Competition. Candidates shall submit essays concerning any subject relating to U.S. patent law. The essays must be original works of scholarship, but candidates are welcome to submit essays prepared initially in the context of course work or other academic activities.

The first-place essay will be published in the Journal of the Patent and Trademark Office Society (JPTOS) (subject to editorial discretion and review, as explained below) and the author will receive an award and $1,000. The author of the runner-up essay will receive an award and $500.

All decisions as to the winning essay(s) and award(s) are made by AAPJ. JPTOS has no involvement in the selection of the winning essays and/or awards, and has no responsibility for those decisions.

In terms of suitability for publication in JPTOS, the winning essay must be, in the sole discretion of JPTOS, substantially not duplicative of recent or upcoming articles, as well as fit within JPTOS’s normal subject matter areas of publication. Further, the winning essay must comply with JPTOS’s publication quality standards including, but not limited to, being an original work. Terms and conditions of JPTOS’s article publication can be found at https://www.jptos.org.

The McKelvey Competition is open to any student pursuing study in law, policy, management, or any related field, that impacts technology. In order to be eligible, candidates must be enrolled in a graduate degree program for at least one term during the 2022-23 academic year.

Candidates shall submit essays for consideration on or before Friday, June 30, 2023, by email to email@AAPJ.us (include “McKelvey Writing Competition” in the subject line). Essays should be .pdf files and comply with the formal requirements of submissions to the Journal of the Patent and Trademark Office Society. Submissions must include the candidate’s name, address, telephone number, academic institution, and expected graduation date and degree.

The AAPJ administers this competition in honor of Frederick E. McKelvey, whose five-decade career at the United States Patent and Trademark Office was marked with a dedication to teaching, mentoring, and promoting a sense of collegiality.

Any questions regarding the McKelvey Competition may be directed to the AAPJ at rjsilverman@gmail.com.

N.B. All decisions as to the winning essays and awards are made by AAPJ, including any decision not to award prizes.
 
More Information: 

https://aapj.us/mckelvey-scholarship/ 

About Frederick Earl McKelvey 
(From above link, under "Biography"):

Frederick (“Fred”) E. McKelvey was born in Akron, Ohio on July 24, 1939. He lived in Ohio, California, and Mexico.

He graduated from Carnegie Institute of Technology in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (now Carnegie-Mellon University)  in 1961. After graduation, he worked as a chemical engineer with Mobay Chemical Company in Pittsburgh and Union Oil Company of California in Wilmington, California.

He started his career in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) as an examiner in 1964, examining patent applications in the polymer chemistry art.

While working as an examiner, he attended law school at night, graduating from the Washington College of Law, American University, in 1968. He was a member of the Virginia, Maryland, and DC bars.

He left the USPTO in 1968 and joined E.I. duPont de Nemours, Inc. as a patent attorney, returning to the USPTO in 1969 as an examiner.

In 1970, Fred served in the Office of the Solicitor of the USPTO. In 1975, he served on the Board of Patent Interferences, returning to the Office of the Solicitor in 1976.

In 1983, he was appointed an Examiner-in-Chief on the Board of Appeals.

During this time, he drafted and coordinated the USPTO’s revision of its patent interference and attorney discipline rules.

In 1985, Judge McKelvey was appointed Deputy Solicitor. Then, in February 1988, he was appointed Solicitor. He oversaw all patent and trademark litigation in which the Commissioner was a named defendant and personally handled over 300 appeals before the Court of Customs and Patent Appeals (CCPA), and the Courts of Appeals for the Federal, Fourth and District of Columbia Circuits and over 100 civil actions in which the Commissioner was a named defendant.

Judge McKelvey received the Gold Medal of the Department of Commerce in 1987.

In 1994, Judge McKelvey was appointed Chief Administrative Patent Judge of the Board of Patent Appeals and Interferences.

In 1999, he assumed the position of Senior Judge, remaining in that position until he died in office on April 3, 2016.

His funeral was held on April 10, 2016 at Calvary Chapel of Manassas, Virginia.
 
Further Reading:
 
https://www.law360.com/articles/780050/late-ptab-judge-mckelvey-recalled-as-tireless-patent-leader
 
https://www.tributearchive.com/obituaries/2094876/Frederick-Earl-McKelvey
 
https://aapj.us/mckelvey-scholarship/  
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